The disclosures herein relate generally to computer systems and more particularly to an apparatus and method for cooling a heat generating component in a computer.
To continually increase the performance of portable computers, high performance memory devices are now being used in portable computers. RAMBUS(trademark) inline memory modules, available from Rambus Incorporated, are memory devices that offer high-speed operation, excellent reliability and cost effectiveness. From a performance standpoint, these characteristics make Rambus in-line memory modules an excellent choice for use in portable computers.
As a result of the high-speed operation of Rambus in-line memory modules, a considerable amount of heat is produced. Rambus in-line memory modules can produce peak thermal dissipation of up to 1.7 watts. In addition, Rambus in-line memory modules have exposed semiconductor die surfaces with the peak surface temperatures approaching 100 deg. C. during operation. An adequate amount of cooling of the Rambus in-line memory modules is required to attain the intended performance and reliability. While such cooling requirements are not exceptionally difficult to attain in desktop computers, the density and orientation of system components in portable computers make cooling system components such as memory modules more challenging.
Techniques for cooling heat generating components in portable computers are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,667 discloses a portable computer including an enclosure and a heat sink for cooling a heat generating component. The heat sink includes a heat radiating portion that extends through an opening in the enclosure. A key limitation of the technique of this disclosure is that the heat sink must be removed to permit access to the heat generating component. U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,913 discloses a portable computer having a memory door with an integral heat sink. The door can be pivoted between an open and closed position for providing access to the memory devices. The heat sink portion of the door is engaged with the heat generating component when the door is in the closed position. A key limitation of the technique of this disclosure is that the temperature of the door is significantly elevated during operation of the portable computer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,880,929; 5,847,925; and 5,598,320 disclose cooling apparatus using a heat pipe for routing heat from a heat generating component to a remote heat dissipating body. In some embodiments, the heat dissipating body may be pivoted or otherwise displaced with respect to the heat dissipating body. However, in each of these disclosures, the portion of the heat pipe attached to the heat generating component does not pivot for permitting access to the heat generating component.
Most portable computers have a removable or hinged door adjacent to the memory modules for permitting user access to the memory modules through an opening in the enclosure. However, it is very difficult to get a good thermal conduction path from the memory area through the door due to the door being movable with respect to the memory modules. Through experimentation, it has been determined that the temperature of the enclosure of the notebook adjacent to the memory modules can reach temperatures as high as 57 deg. C. This temperature is unacceptable from an ergonomic standpoint as well as from a reliability standpoint.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for cooling a heat generating component in a computer that exhibits an exceptional cooling capacity and provides easy access to the heat generating component through a movable door without requiring removal of various components of the apparatus.
One embodiment, accordingly, provides a cooling apparatus that includes a heat dissipating portion that is remotely located with respect to the heat generating component in a computer and a heat extraction portion that is movably connected between the heat generating component and the heat dissipating portion for permitting easy access to the heat generating component. To this end, a cooling apparatus includes an enclosure having a face with an opening formed therein. A heat extraction member is in the enclosure. A door is pivotally mounted on the enclosure adjacent to the opening for being moved between an open position and a closed position, and the heat extraction member pivots with the door. A heat dissipating body is mounted in the enclosure. A heat routing member is attached at a first end to the heat extraction member and at a second end to the heat dissipating body.
A principal advantage of this embodiment is that the removable heat generating component can be cooled using a heat routing member and a remotely located heat dissipating body while still permitting the heat generating component to be readily accessed through the opening in the enclosure.